The issue of drug use by athletes, whether professional or amateur, is steadily growing both in public attention and organizational concern. Explicitly the Tour de France is falling apart, and Barry Bonds is on the verge of breaking the all-time Home Run record.

What makes this such an interesting set of stories is the cross-section of sports, technology, ethics, and entertainment. Certainly nothing is simple, and while some may offer a righteous posturing against drugs in sport, the fact of the matter is that nothing is as simple as we may like, and nobody is as innocent as they may claim.

I should at this point, in the interests of full disclosure, admit that I was on steroids for almost two years, starting in the late summer of 2000 and extending into 2002. Ironically enough I started my stint on 'roids about the same time the 2000 Summer Olympics were starting. I couldn't help but feel the irony that steroids were saving my life, and yet at the same time being demonized on a global stage.

Which is part of why I find this whole issue rather funny. So many of us are dependent upon drugs for our health or well-being. Yet sports, which is perhaps one of the largest entertainment industries out there, seems to shun drugs as an evil equivalent to cheating.

However if you think of drugs as a type of technology, does it not make sense that they should have a regulated yet supported role in the sports world? Certainly fitness and training technology has helped athletes tremendously, as have other techniques and tools used to improve performance and ability. Why should drugs be treated differently?

Barry Bonds is both an entertainer, and an athlete. He regularly performs in front of thousands of paying customers, who want to see him hit the ball well out of the park. I have trouble seeing what he did as cheating, rather he uses technology developed by BALCO to improve his ability to entertain the people who pay to be entertained.

Similarly the Tour de France is a situation where you can't help but ask yourself would the race even be possible without drugs and doping? There seems to be a general consensus amongst the competitors that drugs are an essential part of the competition. Is that really a bad thing?

Some might cite the health concerns related to drug use and sport, but let's face it, there are health concerns with everything. I personally feel all drugs should be legal and regulated, as that's the best way to protect people's health. Forcing people to turn to the black market only adds greater risk, both health and professional, while also profiting criminal organizations.

I remember quite vividly when Ben Johnson ran 100 metres in 9.79 seconds. I loved him then, and I still love him today. When he was stripped of his gold medal I was upset, not at Ben, but at the hypocrites at the IOC. Of course years later we learn that Carl Lewis was also on drugs, along with almost every other sprinter, yet it's still Ben that wears the label of cheater.

Drugs in general will continue to be a huge issue, not just in sports, but in all aspects of our society. As a technology, our society has become so dependent upon drugs, both legal, and illegal, yet we're still only beginning to discuss their desired role, albeit not in a very rational, or fair manner. Whether it be the war on drugs manifesting as the war on the poor, or the authoritarian manner in which drugs are policed in sports, it's clear to me that our approach so far has been immature and ineffective.

Mind you, I'm as critical of technology as anyone can be, and I'm not saying drugs are the answer, I'm just saying we need to reassess how we relate to the issue, as at present we're once again allowing our technology to dominate us instead of having at least some control on the way its used and the social impact it brings.

Even in the staid and conservative world of Golf has drugs become a concern. At the (British) Open Championship, hall of fame golfer Gary Player made remarks about drug use in golf that got everyone worked up. The large majority of reactions being that Player should not have said anything, and that there was zero drug use by professional golfers. This of course is ridiculous, and I think Gary Player did the right thing by raising the issue and getting people talking about it.

It seems far smarter to have the issue of drugs and sports out in the open, then continue to allow it to be a reality behind the scenes. Prohibition is not, and has never been the answer. Rather we need to regulate and understand why it is that athletes, whether professional or amateur, find themselves feeling the need to take drugs as part of their overall training.

Perhaps then we'll move forward to an even more interesting and important discussion on why the rest of us are so dependent upon drugs and the pharmaceutical industry...